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Pualana Lemelle sits on an ottoman in the "Smoking Bench" exhibit and watches herself disappear, then reappear in a mirror facing her, as fog slowly engulfs her then dissipates. Artist Jeppe Hein said that the disappearance of the viewer's body is the central theme of this piece.

Seeing ghosts

The term "special effects" has come to mean cutting-edge in the 21st century, but these illusions have always been around in one form or another. Remember 35 years ago, when Kikaida fought rubber-suited monsters with visible zippers, and they'd shoot Silly String at Jiro? How about those B-movie horror flicks decades earlier, when a rippling spiral signified a man transforming into a monster or going insane?

Now go back a couple centuries -- and you've got the theme of "Phantasmagoria: Specters of Absence," on exhibit at the Contemporary Museum. The show mixes high art with a touch of Halloween spirit through the works of artists who use the ephemeral to explore absence, loss, death and the afterlife.

"Phantasmagoria shows were entertainment in the late 18th to 19th century in Europe and eventually the United States," says curator Jay Jensen, who oversaw the installation of the international exhibit. "The shows were put on by people who were part musician, part illusionist. They were meant to wow people with 'special effects' -- optics, lighting and literally smoke and mirrors -- and were designed to present images that were visible but untouchable."

With the advent of film, the allure of phantasmagoria eventually faded, much like the ephemeral images they conjured.

Fast forward to the present, when curator José Roca of Columbia recognized works being created today that mirror phantasmagoria of centuries ago. Appreciating the rich theatrical tradition, he brought 12 artists together for a summer exhibit this year. The show makes its first stop in the United States in Hawaii. For local audiences the Contemporary Museum has added eight works from its own collection to the mix.

COURTESY THE CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM
"The Hands" (2007) is a wall drawing by Julie Nord.

"PHANTASMAGORIA" is the rare museum exhibit that encourages interaction, and that makes it engaging for families. "Usually, it's don't touch, don't touch, don't touch. But this one is fun for people to interact with," says Jensen.

Sitting on a bench by Jeppe Hein triggers a smoke machine that envelopes the sitter in fog. Another work perches water-filled plates on long, thin sticks. With lighting and vibration, the water reflects eerie shadow faces on the wall. Children find delight in this piece in particular, as it requires forceful stomping and jumping.

But Jensen says the show is much more than just fanciful, citing the work of Teresa Margolles, in which a humidifier creates steam from water used to wash corpses in a morgue.

"You cannot NOT react to that," he says. "At first you think it's awful. Then that elicits thinking about the fragility of life.

"This is a show that on the surface can be enjoyable because it encourages participation. But deeper down, it makes people contemplate."

Art and soul

"Phantasmagoria: Specters of Absence" deals with "intangible, ephemeral, fantastical imagery," says Jay Jensen, curator at the Contemporary Museum. "There's the intention to shock, scare or put people on edge a little bit."

The show ranges from simple, long-standing traditional works to complex pieces using computers, but either way, "a slightly morbid tone goes through the exhibit."

It's a tone people can relate to, Jensen believes.

"We live in a different world today, with 9/11 and the Iraq war. Difficult things happen every day, and they're part of our daily life. We don't usually think of this as a subject for art, but these artists show it can be."

COURTESY THE CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM
Jim Campbell's "Library" (2004) is an LED screen with attached Plexiglas and photogravure.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Christie Hirata walks past the interactive "Aliento" (2000) exhibit, which involves exhaling a breath of air onto a reflective surface to make a ghostly image appear. The images are of deceased people and were taken from newspaper clippings.

COURTESY THE CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM
Michael Delacroix's "Lissetta, Ferdinand, Saverio, Edward" (1995) consists of four pieces, each made out of metal, plastic, engraved mirrors, water and light. As viewers walk past each piece, the vibrations of the floor cause ghostly figures to appear on the wall.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Enrique Martinez Celaya's "Frankness (Works of Mercy)" (2000-2002) can be seen at the "Phantasmagoria" exhibit through Nov. 25.